DETROIT (Bloomberg) -- Mercedes-Benz withstood a late surge from BMW, ending its rival's two-year reign as the U.S. luxury-vehicle sales leader as the breadth of Mercedes's lineup pushed it to a record year.

Mercedes posted a 17 percent gain in December with 33,007 deliveries, as the new entry-level CLA, and revamped mid-size E-class and premium S-class cars led the gains. For the year, Mercedes sales rose 14 percent to 312,534, or 3,254 more than BMW's 2013 total.

This was only the second time Mercedes has won the U.S. luxury sales crown, according to the Automotive News Data Center. It earned its other title in 1999 when it sold 189,437 vehicles in the U.S.

Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Mercedes parent Daimler AG, said in July he expected his company to come up short in 2013.

"We saw record sales, flexed our muscles across the entire product line from top to bottom and brought the customer experience to an all-time high," Steve Cannon, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, said in a statement.

BMW reported December sales of 37,389, a decline of 10 deliveries from 2012. The automaker posted gains of 56 percent for its 3-series and 4-series sedans. For the year, BMW sales rose 10 percent to 309,280, topping its record from 2007.

BMW's status as annual leader for 2012 was based on reported sales. By vehicle registrations, Mercedes topped BMW last year, according to researcher R.L. Polk & Co. Through September, owners had registered 216,724 new BMW vehicles in the U.S., compared with 206,952 from Mercedes, according to Polk.

Don't worry. The active touring 2 series will greatly increase their minivan market share. They'll just continue to release new vehicles until they regain the crown. Who cares if half these cars end up being crap as long as sales are up!

I can't stand the CLA's horrible proportions. Also,even with the update, the E-class still feels old. It needs a total refresh. That being said, the only Mercedes that I like are the S-Class and the CLS.

Mercedes said before the year, having top sales numbers isn't the number one goal. Instead they focused on bringing the best product they could to the market. This is what got them the number one sales.